Tanzania: CCM Eyes Lean NEC, Central Committee Teams

The envisaged major reforms, which the party’s outgoing Ideology and Publicity Secretary, Mr Nape Nnauye, announced yesterday at the party’s Lumumba Sub-Head Office in Dar es Salaam, follows a day-long NEC meeting under CCM National Chairman, President John Magufuli.

Under the reforms ever made in the 40-year old political party, the number of NEC and CC members will be reduced to 158 and 24 from 388 and 34, respectively. The party also halved the frequency of its annual internal meetings from the grassroots to national levels.

Presenting the new proposals to reporters, Mr Nnauye said the proposed amendments will be endorsed during the party’s congress scheduled for next February. He said the new structure seeks to increase efficiency and reduce the number of ‘dormant’ leaders in ranks of CCM administration.

“There are leaders within CCM who the national chairman and NEC have perceived to be of no immediate need … all those posts will be scrapped off,” Mr Nnauye said, announcing also that all other posts which are not in the constitution will automatically cease.

The discharge posts include the party’s official spokesperson, the post that Mr Christopher Ole Sendeka occupied until recently, Assistant Secretaries, Youth Wing commanders, Women wing (UWT) guardians and advisors as well as the Chairman of the party’s regional and district chairpersons.

Mr Nnauye said the new composition of NEC will include 26 CCM regional chairpersons from Tanzania Mainland and six members from Zanzibar. In addition, 26 members will come from the regional NEC representatives in the mainland regions and 24 from Isles.

There will also be 30 NEC national members 15 from the mainland and 15 from the Isles. The proposed amendments also include President Magufuli and National Chairman slots to appoint seven NEC members, from the former 10 slots. “CCM wings -UVCCM, Parents, UWT and Parliamentarians will also add-up five members from each group.

The secretary of CCM parliamentarians will as well join the committee while there will be three members from the House of Representatives and one post from the Representatives’ secretary,” he explained. Additionally, Mr Nape said other members will join the party’s top decision making organs through the posts.

They are the National Chairman, Secretary General, Prime Minister, Speakers and chairpersons. In another development, NEC has approved adoption of the electronic identification cards to replace the oldfashioned cards and allow all members to hold single card.

The process will include review of the number of legitimate members from the current figure of 8.4 million and automatically eliminate phantom members.

At the climax of the February meeting, the party will also declare its new CCM flag that will still have the green and yellow colours, with the crossed hammer and hoe.

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